This was not even a pipe dream a decade ago. To say that Israel would be among six nations contesting an Olympic medal in baseball would have been met with laughter even a few years ago. Yet here you are.
You are a wonderful embodiment of two important quotes by two important figures in your history. Theodor Herzl once said "if you will it, it's no dream" and David Ben Gurion once said "in Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles". The last few years bear witness to this. The world saw the "Jamaican bobsled team of baseball" win four more games than the experts predicted back in the 2017 WBC. Their eyes probably popped off the page in incredulity when they read Israel had qualified a baseball team for the Olympics.
You are no strangers to big exploits in the far east. Tokyo knows you all too well. After all, is this not where you brought down the Cuban Goliath? And how fitting is it that where that first magic carpet ride in the far east ended is where the new one begins.
You represent the hopes and dreams of Jews around the world and this is not to put pressure on you. Rather, this is meant for you to take pride in what you've already done. The Israel baseball story is a neat metaphor for the history of the Jewish people as a whole, with its constant defiance of the odds. And look at how many Davids (Jews and non-Jews alike) identify with your can-do spirit and refusal to allow "realism" to define the limits of what you can do. You have a different understanding of realism and that is what you've taught those of us that are inspired by you.
Baseball is a game with a long history of "I don't believe what I just saw!" events. You've now created a few of your own. The next week will create new memories and new dreams which is what the Olympic Games are all about. And hey, why can't there be a little hardware to go along with it?
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